Strong growth in emerging Latin American economies includes the refining sectors, but U.S. refiners will enjoy a significant opportunity for export to the region until major projects in Brazil and Mexico are completed in the next few years. Those were the conclusions of two refining experts at a Hart Energy Breakfast Club event in Houston on May 3.

Valero Energy has received an offer of US$350 million for its idled Aruba refinery, and PetroChina is being described as an interested party, according to a recent Dow Jones report. San Antonio-based Valero has not confirmed the name of the potential buyer.

Refinery technology vendor Axens and coal-to-liquids (CTL) technology developer Headwaters are promoting a novel coal/residual oil co-processing scheme that could open up new possibilities for motor fuels from relatively low-value feedstocks.

Caterpillar announced new dual-fuel (natural gas and diesel) engines for offshore oil and gas operators on April 30 – and Cummins followed a day later with a similar announcement.

Wärtsilä announced May 8 that it won a contract to supply a diesel/liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual-fuel powertrain for the “ECO2 Inland Vessel” project in Europe.

Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) announced May 3 that Texas-based engineering contractor Fluor won a project management services contract for refining, petrochemicals and petcoke gasification projects at RIL’s 1.2 million barrels/day complex at Jamnagar, India.

After a decade of consistent expansion, bioethanol usage fell in 2011.This comes despite a rise in crude oil prices that should make renewable alternatives competitive: So why the fall?

The giant Port of Los Angeles (POLA) announced May 3 that it became the first seaport in North America and the Pacific Rim to adopt an international clean air program that rewards ocean carriers for bringing their “newest and cleanest” vessels to the Port.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) told an April 24 U.S. House subcommittee hearing that it won’t support a proposed fuel-sulfur-averaging scheme for marine diesel “emissions-control area” (ECA) regulation scheduled to take effect in 2015.

The abundance of natural gas from U.S. shale plays is a tremendous resource, but low prices are frustrating gas producers. New ideas for promoting demand, and thus raising prices, are key issues, according to a group of panelists speaking at Hart Energy’s recently held Developing Unconventional Gas Conference in Fort Worth, Texas.

Phillips 66 Co., the refining company spun out from Houston-based ConocoPhillips Co. announced May 1 that it plans to double its fuel exports in the next two years as U.S. oil production surges but gasoline demand declines.

General Motors announced April 26 that it sees growing market demand for diesel cars in the U.S. market, supporting its planed 2013 rollout of the “Chevrolet Cruze” diesel car in the U.S.

A preliminary finding by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that palm-oil-derived biodiesel fails to meet minimum lifecycle greenhouse-gas (GHG) reductions for the Renewable Fuel Standard-2 (RFS-2) regulation is more than justified, according to a coalition of “green” groups.

Foster Wheeler wins a contract from the Abu Dhabi National Chemicals Company (ChemaWEyaat) for project management consultancy (PMC) services for an aromatics complex (Stage I of the Tacaamol Project) and the supporting infrastructure. The company also was awarded an owner’s engineer contract for a new LNG (liquefied natural gas) liquefaction project to be located in Hackberry, La., by Cameron LNG LLC, an affiliate of Sempra Energy.

These charts show biweekly activity of the ICE Brent Futures and ICE Gas Oil Futures from May 1 to May 15.

Analysts with Hart Energy’s World Refining & Fuels Service (WRFS) have issued a Special Report on China’s refining industry.

Global funding for carbon-capture and storage (CCS) technology stalled at US$23.5 billion in 2011 compared with 2010, according to a new report from the U.S.-based Worldwatch Institute.

A new report from Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE) finds that the oil and gas hydraulic fracturing (fracking) boom in the U.S. won’t result in U.S. “energy independence.”

Hart Energy’s newly released study, U.S. & Brazil Ethanol Outlook to 2022, finds that the United States has vaulted over Brazil to lead the world in the export of ethanol – a title it’s positioned to retain in 2012 and beyond.

Domestic natural gas production and storage reached an all-time high in 2011, which combined to generate the lowest gas prices in 10 years, according to the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) 2011 State of the Markets report released last month.